Chapter 646: Pine and Cypress - Red Makeup (Part 2)
Due to the unique nature of their profession, most Soul Martial Artists had their Essence, Qi, and Spirit in top form.
Take Gao Lingwei, for instance. A casual glance from her felt like a sharp, unsheathed blade.
Then there was Xia Fangran. No matter how devil-may-care he acted, he was always a man brimming with energy and vigor.
But this Xiao Ziru… he was only in his early forties, yet Rong Taotao felt as if he were seeing a shadow of Mei Hongyu.
‘Decrepit and on the verge of death?’
But Mei Hongyu was in a league of his own. He naturally carried an aura of Death Qi. Hidden beneath Mei Hongyu’s aged exterior was the heart of a top-tier Soul Martial Artist.
Xiao Ziru, however, was truly like a candle flickering in the wind.
Seeing Rong Taotao enter, Xia Fangran asked, “Did you get it?”
“I got it, but Dr. Cheng said he’s coming over right away,” Rong Taotao said.
Xia Fangran said in surprise, “Didn’t he just finish the examination? What’s he coming over for?”
With Xiao Ziru right there, Rong Taotao couldn’t say much, so he just said, “I have Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon. Dr. Cheng agreed to let me talk with Coach Xiao, with him present.”
Xia Fangran looked astonished, while Gao Lingwei, who was standing by the wall, frowned slightly.
All treatments carried risks, and when the patient was Xiao Ziru, those risks didn’t just affect the patient himself—they could extend to those nearby.
Fortunately, this was Wan’an Pass, a military medical center. And fortunately, Rong Taotao possessed a petal of the Huilian. This put Gao Lingwei’s mind at ease considerably.
A short while later, Dr. Cheng Qing returned, holding a stack of cards that looked like a deck of playing cards, covered in written words.
Cheng Qing walked over to the sofa where Xiao Ziru was sitting, laid the word cards out on the floor one by one, and said casually, “Let’s try Songbai Town first.”
Rong Taotao thought for a moment and said, “How about the fireworks festival? The atmosphere is better.”
“Of course,” Cheng Qing replied as he continued to arrange the cards.
Rong Taotao sat on the sofa next to Xiao Ziru, leaned forward, and tilted his head to look at the silent, doll-like man.
A strange glint flashed in Rong Taotao’s eyes…
The next moment, Rong Taotao and Xiao Ziru were standing in Songbai Town’s Central Square, surrounded by a dense crowd and exquisite ice sculptures.
Directly in front of them, a boy was holding up a skewer of tanghulu with only one candied hawthorn berry left, offering it to the girl before him.
The smile on his face seemed to reveal the mischievous plan he was concocting in his mind…
“WHOOSH… WHOOSH…”
A golden waterfall flowed down the wall of the massive building ahead, as splendid fireworks poured from the rooftop in an utterly beautiful display.
Countless fireworks bloomed in the night sky, a breathtaking sight.
Finally, at that moment, Rong Taotao saw a change in Xiao Ziru.
He tilted his head back slightly, looking up at the magnificent fireworks blooming in the night sky.
Rong Taotao’s heart leaped with joy. He spoke cautiously, “Coach Xiao… Xiao Ziru?”
But Xiao Ziru, dressed in a blue-and-white striped patient’s gown, stood in the crowded square, gazing up at the night sky, still not uttering a word.
Although his attire was out of place, his posture and the way he admired the fireworks were identical to everyone else’s. He blended in, more or less…
Rong Taotao hesitated for a moment, then continued to call out softly, “Xiao Ziru? Does this place look familiar?”
However, Xiao Ziru gave no response.
‘Sigh…’ Rong Taotao sighed internally, silently accompanying Xiao Ziru as he looked up at the dark night sky.
No matter how long Rong Taotao and Xiao Ziru watched the fireworks, in the real world, only a brief moment had passed.
After leaving the world of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon, Rong Taotao, back on the sofa in the hospital room, pressed a hand to his forehead, closed his eyes, and gently rubbed his temples with his thumb and ring finger.
Seeing Rong Taotao stir, Cheng Qing crouched in front of Xiao Ziru and asked in a soft voice, “Where did you just go? Are you willing to tell me about it?”
Xiao Ziru remained motionless and silent.
Cheng Qing moved back, pointing to the pile of cards on the floor. “If you don’t want to talk, you can just point,” he said softly. “You seemed to like that place. If you point it out, we can take you there again.”
The hospital room fell silent, with only the open window continuing to let in a draft of cold wind and Shuangxue.
After a long moment, Xiao Ziru still hadn’t moved. The mood in the room grew heavy.
Rong Taotao spoke up again, “I’ll take him to North Mountain Park. Let’s see the monument.”
“Mm,” Cheng Qing nodded, offering a word of comfort. “Recovery is a long process. Don’t be discouraged. You should also pay attention to how much you use your Soul Skill. Don’t exhaust yourself.”
“Okay.” Rong Taotao turned his head again to look at Xiao Ziru.
The next moment, the two of them appeared in the park built on the mountain north of Songbai Soul Martial High School.
From the park, they could see the monument at the top of the mountain. However, Rong Taotao didn’t take Xiao Ziru directly to its side. Instead, he appeared with him at the foot of a flight of stairs.
Rong Taotao looked up at the somewhat steep stone steps and said, “They say there are 303 steps in total. Shall we?”
As Rong Taotao spoke, two figures passed right through his and Xiao Ziru’s bodies, heading up the stairs…
It was the same young man and woman from the New Year’s Eve fireworks festival, the ones who had been eating tanghulu in front of them.
They were chatting idly as they climbed the stairs step by step, the girl seemingly telling the boy about the time she used to train here.